In order to store vertically standing cartridged ammunition in large quantities, it is necessary to protect the shock sensitive combustible cartridge casings against damage within a comparably compact ready room of the loader of a tank. It is also necessary to nevertheless guarantee the malfunction-free removal of the ammunition from the loading device, particularly with successively arranged rows of ammunition.
It is known that conventional ammunition with metal cartridges for tank cannons is stored in an ammunition rack in the ready room of the loader on the turret platform. In a battle tank, for example, the ammunition is vertically stored on the cartridge base in a stay tube on the storage side of the loader. On the projectile side each round of ammunition is held in position by a clamping device which pivots upwardly upon removal of each successive round. This type of ammunition rack and loader results in rapid and complex automatic handling of ammunition for delivery to the tank cannon under battle conditions. When cartridges having a combustible casing are used, it is necessary to specially protect the ammunition from damage or destruction due to its shock-sensitivity by way of special storage means. To achieve secure protection, it is common practice to store ammunition with combustible cassings horizontally, in special ammunition cans (bushings) comprising magazines, which in turn are arranged, for example, in the rear of the turret separate from the loading device.
When vertically storing as large a number as possible of ammunition with combustible cassings in a ready firing condition on the loader side of the turret platform, in the same manner as metal casing ammunition, for instance on a compact turret platform of a battle tank, the conventional ammunition rack offers no protection against external forces for the combustible cartridge, casing of stored ammunition. In particular, there is little or no protection against unintentional impact or accidental damage caused by service personnel while handling the ammunition. Furthermore, in known clamping devices the only free space available for the removal of ammunition is limited in height, particularly with regard to rear rows of ammunition. The conventional clamping device pivots upwardly when used with multiple successively arranged rows of ammunition, and the available space for removal, transfer, and delivery of ammunition is limited because the lower half of the clamping device, rigidly joined with the holding lever, limits the height of the free space after the upward swivel around a turret fixed pivot.